Ring around the Moon!
Night is coming soon!
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down!
-- Equestrian Skipping Rhyme
------------------------------
On a warm morning in early summer, on a low rise just downslope from the entrance to Canterlot city, a pony climbed into view: a tan-flanked earth pony, with a brown curly mane and a yellow shirt.
And a look of breathless nervousness.
And a rubber chicken sitting on his back.
"Well, Boneless... there it is! Canterlot!" The pony's eyes went wide, as he took in the view of the massive, multi-tiered platforms of the royal city. "And this is definitely the place, the ol' Cheesy-sense hasn't steered me wrong yet. Yeah! Both times, it's been right on the nose!"
He paused, listening. Then shook his head.
"I know, Boneless. It's taking a risk, for sure. I don't know if we're ready for the big time, either!"
He stared up at the spires and minarets of the royal palace, standing tall and imposing on its own platform, high on the mountain's upper slopes.
"But it's gotta be done," he said. "And I'm the pony to do it! Because somepony here really, really, really needs a party. And by the feel of things..."
He shivered convulsively, then leapt a dozen feet in the air.
"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoooo! It's gonna be a doozy!"
------------------------------
The gold-armored, blue-plumed guard strode smartly across the grassy quad in front of the Library Annex of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Coming to the base of the adjoining tower, the stallion steadily, effortlessly mounted the spiraling stairs to the room at the very top.
Striking a proud pose, he lifted a hoof and rapped at the doors -- firmly, but professionally.
The left door swung open. He found himself facing a tall, red-plumed maroon unicorn, wearing tough-looking, intimidating black battle-mage armor, complete with a barbute-style wraparound helm, and armored shoes.
And a look of cold, aloof disdain.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
The guard cleared his throat importantly. "Good morning! I'm here to speak with Princess Celestia's protégé, Twilight Sparkle."
"Really." The unicorn eyed him, thoroughly unimpressed. "And just who should I say is calling?"
He grinned. "Oh, just tell her it's the new Captain of the Royal Guard!"
"My congratulations," she replied dryly. "Go away."
And hoofed the door shut in his face.
The guard blinked in surprise. Then smiled, and rapped again. The door reopened. The black-armored unicorn glared at him.
"I do also," he added without rancor, "happen to be her brother."
She stared at him for a moment. Then her face twisted into a wry look.
"They would pull family on me, wouldn't they?"
He shrugged, in a what-can-you-do manner.
Not taking her eyes off him, the unicorn called over her shoulder.
"Twilight! Your brother's here."
"Shiny?" called a voice from the upper floor of the tower room. Then there was a clattering of hooves on the stairs.
The black-armored pony smoothly swung the doors open and got out of the way, as the lavender unicorn all but launched herself at the guard, still walking in through the doors and removing his helmet.
"Shiny! Hey, big brother! Long time no see!"
"Twily!" He ruffled her mane playfully. "How you doin', kiddo!"
"Great! Busy, but great!" She drew back, staring at the rank marks on his armor. "Wait... did you get promoted again?"
"Uh huh! Say hello to the new Captain of the Royal Guard!" He essayed a formal bow, and came up grinning. "I just got my commission from Celestia herself. So I just had to swing by and let you know."
"And show off, just a little," Twilight chided him. "Still angling for Sibling Supreme, huh?"
"Hey, it's not just that! What with your group's presentation today, and the rumors of Nightmare Cult activity, and the big day closing in on us... well! Princess Celestia felt it was best to start getting everypony in place, sooner rather than later."
"Oh... she told you?" Twilight asked. "About... Nightmare Moon?"
"Yeah! Could've knocked me over with a feather!" Shining Armor agreed. "But I've learned to expect the unexpected around you, little sis."
Twilight grinned sheepishly. Then she turned to the black-armored unicorn, who'd uncomfortably withdrawn a few paces to give them some space. She was sitting quietly near the stairs, her eyes lowered.
"Tempest, this is my brother, Shining Armor. I've told you about him, remember?" She turned back to him. "And Shiny, this is Tempest Shadow. She keeps an eye on all of us here. But don't let the tough act fool you. She's a really good friend!"
"I'm impressed!" Shining Armor offered a hoof for a shake. "You know how hard it is to get Twilight here to acknowledge other ponies' existence? Let alone call them friends?"
"Oh, stop it, Shiny! I've gotten better about that."
"Yeah? I'll believe that when I see it, bookworm!"
Tempest came forward to shake hooves, an uncomfortable, vanishing smile on her face. "Pleasure to meet you, Captain. And look, uh, I'm sorry about... before."
"Hey, don't sweat it." Shining Armor replied. "You were defending your turf. I can totally understand that."
"Oh. Thanks. It's just, well..." She winced. "I've been worried that one of these days they'll decide this group, this project we're working on, all of it, is just too important. And then they'll send in a real guard to take over."
"Actually..." Shining Armor said seriously, "that's one of the reasons I'm here."
"Oh?" Tempest's expression darkened.
"Shiny?" Twilight looked from one to the other of them, worried.
But Shining Armor smiled reassuringly, first at her, and then at Tempest.
"I'm here... as your backup, Tempest."
Tempest stared at him. "Seriously?"
"Seriously." Shining Armor nodded. "Princess Celestia made it very clear. You're in charge of the group's security. I and my soldiers are here to help, as and when we're needed. But you're the pony in charge, so you call the shots."
"Well..." Tempest looked momentarily stunned. "Isn't that going to be a little awkward for you? I mean, I'm not even a commissioned soldier."
"That's the other reason I'm here," he went on. "The Princess expressed the same concern. But we looked it up, and it turns out the Royal Guard does have an old wartime rank that applies, for an officer with extra-ordinary authority, above and beyond the normal chain of command..."
He held out his hoof once more. Formally.
"Congratulations... Commander Tempest!"
Tempest hesitated. "That's a huge show of trust on your part," she said softly. "You and the Princess both." And then she willingly shook hooves with him. "I'll do my best to prove I deserve it."
"Congratulations, Tempest!" Twilight said, beaming with pride. "Or... do I need to call you Commander now?"
Tempest glanced at her. "Just call me your friend, Twilight. That's always been enough for me."
"And I see we don't have to worry about getting you kitted out." Shining Armor gestured to Tempest's suit of mage armor. "That's a really sharp look you've got going there."
Tempest regarded the armor herself.
"What, this old thing? Just something they found for me in the Archives, in one of the deep storerooms. It's supposedly the armor worn by an infamous dark mage... Sacanas, I think they said. I hope there's nothing significant about that." She eyed the glowing double-bolt marks on the flank plates. "Not too sure about the iconography. But now that Starlight's finally gotten her mark, it beats being the only blank-flank in the group."
"Well, it's a good look for an officer," Shining Armor told her. "Tough, intimidating, and just a little mysterious. And don't be shy about putting that to use. Some of the Guard here can be a little full of themselves. Don't hesitate to snap 'em back if they deserve it."
"I'll bear that in mind. Thanks."
"Okay, if you two are through comparing gear?" Twilight smiled at them both. "Look, Shiny, I really want to hang out and chat, but if we want to be ready for this presentation, we need to get back to work. But c'mon up! You can meet the rest of the group while you're here."
She grabbed her brother's hoof and towed him along, as she headed up the stairs leading to the main floor of the tower room. And into a bit of a madhouse.
At the main worktable, Starlight Glimmer sat facing a large parchment scroll, on which the unrolled Harmonic Field spell was laid out as a tangle of discrete spell components. Her gaze swept back and forth among several measuring instruments ranged about her, and she called out adjustments to the ponies positioned around and above the table, wearing or carrying focus gems.
"Double Diamond, a hoof to your right -- yeah, perfect. Sugar Belle, step back just a hair... woah, right there! And Night Glider, up about half a leg... that's good. Now hold it! Let me copy these figures."
"Starlight!" complained the night-blue pegasus. "None of you six have wings! Why are we even bothering with aerial patterns?"
"Because some of the group might be on a ramp," said the tan-coated, bespectacled pony seated next to Starlight, "or on stairs, or uneven terrain, or anything like that. Right, Starlight?"
"Right, Sunny." she said. "And it's always a good idea to have extra solutions in your pocket, just in case."
"Fine, whatever!" Night Glider rolled her eyes. "Just asking."
Sunburst resettled his spectacles. "Thanks for inviting us up to help out, Starlight! This is all fascinating! It's a big step up from the magic we used to do as foals, huh?"
"No kidding!" Starlight agreed. "And thanks for pitching in, Sunny! With all the last-minute tweaks, I can use the extra eyes on this spell."
"Glad I could help!" Sunburst smiled. "But speaking of which, if we're gonna make your demo, we're going to need to lock this down and re-roll the spell soon."
"Take your time," called Trixie. She was seated at a smaller worktable, with a jeweler's loupe in her eye, a gemstone clamped in a vise before her, and a hammer and chisel gripped in her forehooves. "I've got two more of these to do."
"Wait... you're not finished with those?" asked Shining Armor. "I thought Twilight said you had a set made up already."
"We do." Trixie gave him a beleaguered look. "These are the backup-backups! Because somepony decided one extra set wasn't enough!" She glared at Twilight, and then returned to her work, moving the chisel into place, raising the hammer...
From behind the library stacks there was a loud, staccato pounding.
Trixie drew back, growling under her breath. "I swear! I screw up a facet on this again, I will curse somepony! And I've been working on my curses, so don't push me on this!"
"Trixie, you've been working on teleportation spells," Starlight said, not even looking up from the spell-scroll.
"So? I'll teleport that idiot with the hammer into one of my trick cabinets! Preferably the one filled with coats... the ones with the long sleeves? It'd only be fair, the way he's been trying to drive me crazy all morning."
"What is all that hammering, anyway?" Shining Armor asked.
"I requested bunks be put in," Tempest explained, "in an unused storeroom back there. It'll be safer for everypony if they can just crash here, rather than heading back to their dorm rooms late at night. And if worse comes to worst, it'll be easier to set up wards to defend everypony if we're all together in one place.
"I just hope somepony doesn't snore!" Trixie said, eyeing Starlight.
"I just hope somepony doesn't give performances in her sleep!" Starlight shot back.
"Uhh, Starlight..." Sunburst pointed to a mistake on the scroll.
"Oops! Got it." Starlight hurriedly rubbed it out and corrected it, so fast that the nib of her quill snapped. "Oh, sherbet!"
"Here," Moondancer said, levitating over one of hers. She was seated on the other side of the main worktable, working through their collected reference works on the legends concerning Nightmare Moon.
"Thanks!" Starlight said. "How's the overview coming along?"
"You mean the quick précis?" Moondancer said, smiling nervously, "or the week-long retreat with break-out sessions? Seriously! I've been keeping so much of this in my head for so long, I've forgotten how wordy some of these scribes were!"
"Yeah, tell me about it!" Spike said, with feeling. He was busily stacking up the rejected books and scrolls for return to the Archives. "Seems like all the books I've been carting away here have been doorstops!"
"And the ones we're keeping aren't that much better," Moondancer sighed. "I know we're on a tight deadline, but I really don't want to rush this. We might miss something important!"
"You'll get there," Twilight reassured her. "We're lucky to have you sorting through it all. Okay, let's get back to it." She turned to Sunset, who was standing facing her with a stack of notecards held in her magic. "Hit me with another question!"
Sunset sifted quickly through the questions they'd brainstormed together, looking for a tough one.
Shining Armor spoke up first. "What if it doesn't work?"
When Twilight frowned at him, he shrugged. "What? It's something they'll ask. Remember, we're talking nobles here. A lot of them don't know the first thing about magic, even though they use it every day. Even though most of them are unicorns, for Celestia's sake! So... what if it doesn't work?"
Tempest snorted. "If it doesn't work," she said, "Nightmare Moon has us for breakfast. So you better hope and pray it does work. Next question!" She gave Shining Armor an arch look, and he nodded back appreciatively.
"Assuming you're able to contain Nightmare Moon," Sunset read from the card she'd picked, "what do you intend to do next?"
Twilight sighed, nodding. "We'll attempt to talk her round, persuade her to return to peaceful co-rule with Celestia."
"And if she refuses? If she tries to start the Nightmare all over again?"
Twilight glanced at the main table, saw Moondancer looking at them both. "Then we stop her, any way we can. We have to, if she leaves us no choice! Equestria's safety has to come first."
Moondancer looked downcast. But she nodded sadly, in agreement.
A long, awkward silence followed.
Then the hammering started up from the back room again.
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Trixie threw down her tools and tossed her hooves in the air.
Starlight shook her head in amusement. Then she motioned for Night Glider to flap a bit higher, while Sunburst called out the adjusted figures for her to copy, to save time. Moondancer handed her current book off to Spike, then grabbed another, readying her quill to take notes. Twilight looked at Sunset, who quickly readied another card.
And then Tempest suddenly glanced around, with a puzzled look.
"Hey, has anypony seen Grubber?"
"Boss!" the hedgehog shouted. He scrambled up the stairs from the entry door. "We got incoming! Some kinda ponies in dark robes -- with bat wings and glowing eyes!"
Tempest swung to glare at him. "On the ground?" she snapped. "Or in the air?"
"Both! They're coming at us from all sides! They got us surrounded!"
Tempest thought briefly, then turned back to the others.
"Safe room!" she called. "Now!"
The ponies all looked up, staring at her in surprise. Then they quickly swung into action.
"Safe room, everypony!" Sunset repeated. "Spike, gem case! Starlight and Moondancer, spell scrolls! Twilight, you're with me. Trixie, you've got our guests! Let's hoof it!"
Spike quickly ran over to grab the casket holding the finished focus gems. Starlight and Moondancer together levitated the key scrolls and journals from the table into a carryall on Moondancer's back.
"Captain, with me please!" Tempest snapped. Shining Armor nodded in reply, and the two of them disappeared down the stairs, heading for the entry doors. Grubber stared after them, gnawing his paws in fright.
Trixie rolled her eyes, then pointedly set down her tools. Standing up, she clapped her forehooves for attention. "Okay, everypony! Follow Trixie! This way to the egress! Chop-chop!"
Sunburst, Diamond, and the other ponies followed along nervously as Trixie led the way across the room to a small pair of wooden doors set in the wall. Trixie swept them open with her magic, revealing an old dumbwaiter shaft.
Hurrying over to join them, Starlight checked the open shaft, then unhesitatingly dove into the blackness. Far below, they heard her yell "Catch me!" and then heard the sharp snap of the arresting spell, bringing her safely to a halt at the bottom.
Trixie peered down, saw her waving readiness, then motioned to the others. "One at a time, everypony! Step lively now!"
Between Trixie and Starlight, the other ponies were quickly levitated down the shaft, including the startled construction crew just emerging from the back room. They were followed by Moondancer, with her packed carryall, Spike with the gem-case, and an anxious Grubber.
Twilight paused, looking nervously back towards the entry stairs herself.
"Come on, Twilight!" Sunset warned. "We're not supposed to hang around up here, you know."
"I know..." Twilight said uncomfortably, turning toward the shaft entrance.
There was a sudden, loud explosion behind her. Looking back, she saw Tempest and Shining Armor mount the stairs at a run, then swing round to face the level below. Shining Armor flung up a shield spell, and Tempest spared an angry glance over her shoulder, her horn blazing.
"Sunset! Get Twilight below! And shut that door! Move it!"
"Now, Twilight!" Sunset grabbed Twilight by the hoof, and all but pushed her down the shaft. Then she followed quickly herself.
"That's everyone, bestie!" Trixie called. "Comin' down!"
She flung herself down the shaft, in the process using her magic to slam and bar the doors behind her.
At the bottom, Starlight smoothly fielded her, then cancelled the Catch Me spell. The two of them hurried around the corner and along the basement corridor, to the old vault that Twilight had found. It was a magic-proof, disaster-proof storeroom for precious documents and artwork, which they'd cleaned out and refitted as a defensible shelter.
Sunset was standing with a hoof on the door's inner handle, waiting for them, with everyone else inside already. The two of them dove in, and turned to use their magic to help Sunset in pulling the heavy door shut.
"Woah! Wait up!" called a desperate voice. It was Grubber, all but falling down the stairs from his post near the ground-level entrance. He hustled along the length of the corridor, and managed to dive through the closing vault door just before they hauled it shut.
"Phew! Thanks, guys! All clear, nopony followin' me!"
Sunset spun the handle, driving the bolts into place. Starlight and Twilight together cast sealing spells on the door, and then defensive wards around the inside of the vault space, just in case.
Then they all caught their breath, looking at each other anxiously.
"Okay," Night Glider asked, "what the hay is going on? Why are we under attack?"
"Who are they?" Double Diamond asked. "What do they want with us?"
"We can't say," Twilight told them. "Not just yet. It'll all be made clear soon. But... we have to be prepared for things like this."
"Okay..." Sunburst glanced around, nervously resettling his spectacles. "So... what happens now?"
"Now," Sunset said, "we do as Tempest said: we stay quiet, we stay put. Until we get word it's safe to come out."
Trixie had settled herself unconcernedly in a corner. She pulled a focus gem from her hat, and began carefully polishing it with a corner of her robe. "And what if nopony comes to get us?" she asked. "What if we end up trapped down here until the air spell runs out?"
"Trixie!"
"I'm serious, Starlight! What good does hiding out in some old bank vault do us?"
"It gives us time to think!" Starlight retorted. "Time to plan! And this way, we know that everyone's here and safe."
"Except for the boss." Grubber said, fretting nervously and staring up at the door. "Hope she's all right up there."
"She'll be fine, Grubber," Twilight said. "Knowing we're out of harm's way gives her freedom to act against... whoever's attacking us."
Spike, clutching the gem case, stared up at her nervously. "You really think someone's out to get us, Twi?"
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know, Spike. But we have to be ready for anything. After all, we thought the Nightmare Cult was long gone. And then we found it wasn't. No offense," she added to Diamond.
"Hey, none taken!" he replied readily.
"So..." Twilight finished, "who knows what we might have to face?"
"Well," Trixie grumbled, "I just hope we don't end up stuck down here forever. The Great and Powerful Trixie adores a captive audience as much as the next showpony, but..."
Thump. Thump-thump.
There was a loud, metallic thumping, coming from outside the door.
Grubber listened tensely, counting under his breath. And then relaxed. "It's okay, Sunset," he said. "You can open 'er up."
"You sure, Grubber?"
"Oh, yeah!" He grinned. "That's the special big bad wolf knock. The one that says open this door now, or she'll bust it down herself!"
Cancelling the wards and sealing spells, the ponies spun the handle and pushed open the door. And found Tempest and Shining Armor standing outside, smiling in at them.
"Time, Grubber?" Tempest asked coolly.
Grubber produced a stopwatch and peered at it. "Uh... four minutes, eighteen seconds, boss!"
"Not bad," Tempest said. "An improvement, even with the extra ponies to manage." She scowled. "But we can do better -- a lot better!"
Trixie sighed, and got to her hooves, tucking the polished gem back in her hat. "Look, if we're all finished playing Mage War Shelter for now? Some of us do have work to finish before this demo."
"All right, everypony," Sunset said. "All clear! Let's get back to it!"
Chattering and laughing in relief, the group trotted up the corridor together, heading for the stairs leading up to ground level, and the tower room high above.
And Tempest and Shining Armor stood side by side, watching them go. In particular, they both watched Twilight, trotting along at the rear of the group, accompanied by Spike and Sunset.
Shining Armor looked at Tempest.
"Was all that staged for my benefit?"
"Not you specifically," Tempest said. "Grubber just saw a uniform crossing the quad, and he knew what to do. He's a good lookout in that respect... he's such a craven coward, not much gets by him."
Then she eyed Shining Armor, with an amused look.
"So, what did you think? And be honest."
"I thought it was handled excellently," he replied. "And you've really got this group motivated. I mean, I have lieutenants who can't execute maneuvers with that kind of enthusiasm and coordination!"
Tempest shrugged.
"Twilight motivates them. She just lets me give the orders."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short! I can see what the Princess was saying about you. You'd make a decent Royal Guard yourself."
"Thanks." Tempest frowned, staring after the departing ponies. "I just hope all the things I can't plan for here don't get us."
"We live in hope," Shining Armor agreed. "But I'd say that you have things pretty much under control. Is there anything we can do to help? Anything you need right now?"
Tempest nodded. "One thing."
"Name it."
She looked at him. "Twilight comes first."
At Shining Armor's surprised look, Tempest rolled her eyes. "Captain, we both know that under different circumstances, I might be having this conversation with you from inside of a holding cell. It's entirely due to your sister's kindness and understanding that this isn't the case. Right now, she's the closest thing that I have to family... so she comes first." Tempest waved a hoof. "I'm not saying don't do your job: protect the others, protect Celestia, protect Equestria... all of it! But if it comes down to it..."
She eyed him sternly.
"Twilight comes first. Do we have an understanding?"
Shining Armor nodded. "I'd say we understand each other perfectly, Commander. And that my sister and her friends are in good hooves here."
------------------------------
Later that day, a select group of Guard officers, research mages, and nobles were all gathered in a secure courtyard of the Palace. The Guards were silent and attentive, the mages calmly aloof, the nobles restless and impatient.
Princess Celestia herself stood at the head of the group, tall and resplendent in her golden crown, peytral, and armored shoes, the very image of unassailable strength and assurance.
Her aide, Raven Inkwell, was close at hoof, the diminutive, black-maned unicorn all but invisible standing beside her much taller sovereign. Raven cast a nervous glance between the clipboard in her hoof and the clock above the doors leading into the Palace.
"They're cutting it a bit fine, Your Highness," she whispered.
"Don't worry, Raven. They'll be here." Celestia smiled. "In fact, if I know Twilight, she's been standing on the other side of those doors for the past five minutes, going over her notes one last time."
Celestia paused thoughtfully, then went on, so softly that only Raven could hear.
"If anything should happen, Raven, you know what to do."
"Of course, Highness. But... you don't think it'll come to that do you?"
"We must be certain, Raven. So must Twilight. So we must be prepared for anything. Whatever happens, Twilight will need you and the Guard behind her."
"Understood, Your Highness."
The clock struck the hour. And as predicted, the doors swung open, and Twilight Sparkle stepped through them. She came down the steps into the courtyard, calmly, her head held high.
And Celestia repressed a smile, not fooled for a moment. If Twilight stepped on a twig right now, she'd end up in the Moon herself.
Right behind Twilight came Tempest, stern and threatening in her black mage armor. Following her were the other ponies: Starlight, Trixie, Sunset, and Moondancer. Spike and Grubber brought up the rear, with Spike carrying the gem case and Grubber a small satchel of spell scrolls.
Twilight came to a halt facing the Princess, and the others quickly assembled themselves behind her.
"Princess Celestia," she said, "and honored guests. With your kind indulgence, the Advanced Projects group would like to present a demonstration of our School project: the Field of Harmony."
At Celestia's indulgent nod, Twilight and the others quickly rearranged themselves into a broad hexagon, with Tempest and Starlight at the rear, Trixie and Moondancer to either side, and Twilight and Sunset in front.
Spike brought the gem-case around, and each pony was given a necklace holding one of the focus gems, save for Trixie, who already wore hers on the collar of her cloak. Grubber brought the bag of scrolls over to Starlight, who eyed the group's positioning, then quickly chose one. She studied it for a moment, then showed it to Tempest, who nodded. They both indicated readiness to Twilight, while Spike and Grubber quickly got themselves out of the way.
Twilight turned back to face the Princess... and saw that Celestia was carefully removing her crown, armor, and shoes, allowing an aide to pack them away in a velvet-lined case.
Striding forward into the clear space in front of the group, the Princess nodded to the group of students.
"Whenever you are ready, Twilight."
Twilight stared. "But... Princess..."
"You need to test the Field's power on an alicorn of sufficient strength and ability." Celestia smiled. "And I am pleased to be able to assist you, my faithful student."
Twilight bit her lip, glancing at the others. Then turning back to Celestia, she nodded uneasily. "Yes, Your Highness!"
"And Twilight," Celestia gently warned her, "don't hold back on my account. Give it everything you have -- a real test, if you please."
"Of course, Princess!"
Twilight looked to Starlight, and nodded. Starlight's horn lit up, and she cast the conic shield spell on Tempest's broken horn, stabilizing the larger pony's magic. Then all the ponies remote-cast, linking their pools of magic together. Finally, Starlight cast the opening bar of the Field spell itself.
"Okay, Tempest," she said. "Let 'er rip!"
Tempest lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and launched a near-blinding torrent of magic at the gem on Trixie's collar. Channeled by the Field spell, the beam refracted, changing color and form, then bounced across the circle to Moondancer, where it refracted again. From there, it went forward to Sunset, then back to Starlight, then forward to Twilight, then back to Tempest, and finally over to Trixie again, completing the circuit.
And their gems all glowed, projecting whirling spectral rings of magic that spiraled outward, finally linking together into a vast loop that encircled the entire group.
Their hooves gently left the ground as they lifted into the air together, surrounded by a dazzling, shimmering halo, in all the colors and forms of magic. Their eyes blazed, their manes flowed on invisible currents of power.
And the assembled audience could all sense the projected field, extending outward from the visible dynamo of magic energy: a soothing, calming force, which silenced horns, smothered magic, even as it stilled nervousness and fear, producing a sense of quiet certainty, of optimism... of hope.
"PRINCESS," Twilight called, her amplified voice booming in the confines of the courtyard. "WE'RE READY."
"Very good, Twilight," Celestia replied. She lit her own horn then, and began casting a luminance spell. "Please begin."
Twilight focused her attention on Celestia, on her horn, on the luminance spell. It was a distortion in the harmonic field, which she could sense somehow, with her immensely magnified magic ability. It was like a candle flame, a single light flickering in a dark room.
Reluctantly, Twilight mentally reached out, as if moving a huge invisible hoof... to snuff it out.
Celestia's horn dimmed, ever so slightly. Concentrating, the Princess amplified the spell, restoring her horn's original brilliance.
In response, Twilight focused even more intently, smoothing the field, squashing the distortion in it.
And Celestia's horn dimmed again. The Princess redoubled her efforts, restoring the spell once more.
Twilight quickly found herself reaching the limits of her own power pool. So she began to draw on the power projected by the other five ponies around her.
Celestia winced. Her horn visibly sputtered, almost winked out. Setting her jaw firmly, planting her hooves in the turf, the Princess threw even more power into the spell, causing her horn to blaze brightly once again... but only briefly.
Steadily, inexorably, her power was stifled, suppressed. Celestia's horn grew dimmer, her magic paler. She grunted, shut her eyes, put every ounce of power and ability she had into pushing back.
"PRINCESS?" Twilight called anxiously.
"Don't stop, Twilight!" Celestia commanded. "Don't hold back. Give it everything you have!"
Grimacing, Twilight opened the floodgates, unleashing the full power of the Field. The air in the courtyard was growing hot, and crackling with energy. The shimmering prismatic ring surrounding the six ponies whirled with keening, raging intensity.
And then... Celestia buckled, finally driven to her knees. Even so, she pushed back, desperately, forcing her horn to remain lit.
She shut her eyes, tensed in agony.
Her horn dimmed... dimmed... and finally...
... went out.
There was a sudden loud crack of released energy. With a cry of shock, Celestia was flung bodily backwards, landing in a stunned heap at the hooves of the astonished onlookers.
"PRINCESS!" Twilight shouted, horrified. "QUICK, STARLIGHT! SHUT IT DOWN!"
"JUST LIKE WE PRACTICED, EVERYPONY," Starlight called out, struggling to remain calm herself. "ON THREE! ONE! TWO! THREE!"
The ponies ceased casting, and Starlight hastily ran the reclamation spell, safely winding down the ring's power and returning it to their reserves. As the power abated, the six of them steadily lowered to the ground, their eyes returning to normal.
As soon as she felt the spell release her, Twilight dashed over to the Princess. She was followed quickly by Sunset, and then by the others.
Celestia was only just rising to her hooves, assisted by Raven and the guards.
"Princess!" Twilight gasped. "Are you hurt? We didn't mean to --"
The Princess put up a hoof, even as she shook her head to clear it. "Calmly, Twilight," she said. "I'm all right. And I congratulate you. Your project is a complete success. You were able to withstand even my magic."
Her eyes lifted, to gaze around at the assembled nobles and mages.
"And I very much hope," she added, with a touch of bitterness, "that this little demonstration has settled any doubt in your minds, that Twilight and her fellow students now possess the capacity to defend Equestria. Against any force that might stand against it!"
The assembled observers nodded in awed astonishment. Then they began whispering amongst themselves, as Celestia re-donned her crown and other regalia.
Twilight still stood at the Princess's hooves, gazing up at her mentor in wide-eyed fright.
"Princess..." she whispered. "I'm... I'm so sorry!"
Celestia gazed down at her, with a proud smile. "You have nothing to be sorry for, my faithful student." Looking up, Celestia took in the rest of the group, who were staring at her anxiously. "None of you have," she went on. "You have all done astonishingly well. The six of you are ready, finally ready. And I could not be happier..."
Twilight gazed up at the Princess's face as she spoke... and saw the tense sadness in Celestia's eyes.
------------------------------
It was quiet in the tower room. Twilight was seated over by the window wall, with Spike sitting next to her and looking up at her in concern. Twilight stared out at the afternoon sky, a somber, distracted look on her face. There was a book lying open on the floor in front of her but Twilight hadn't turned a page in it for several minutes.
Sunset finally wandered over and sat down beside her.
"Bit for your thoughts," she said gently. "Though I can probably guess."
Twilight sighed. "I've always believed that nothing could ever stand up to Celestia. She's been Princess for so long. Nothing could ever challenge her, nothing could ever hurt her. And nothing could ever... defeat her."
"And then we did," Sunset said. "And it doesn't help, does it, that she pretty much ordered us to do it?"
Twilight gave her a sad look. "She's always cared about me, protected me and taught me..."
Sunset nodded, and put a hoof around her. "And now you feel like you've repaid that by hurting her, by humiliating her, right?"
"How did you..."
"Because I feel the same way, Twilight! I was here first, remember? And while I may have mouthed off to Celestia on more than one occasion --" She winced uncomfortably. "-- deep down, she's always been more than just my mentor. She's my role model. Growing up, I wanted to be just like her. Nah, that's giving me way too much credit. The truth is, I wanted to be her, full stop. I wanted to be the Princess myself. Seeing Celestia... brought down like that, humbled like that..." She shook her head. "It really hurt!"
"It was frightening!" Starlight agreed, coming over to join them. "I've always been afraid that one of my spells would get away from me and hurt somepony. And this is the Princess we're talking about!" She put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "But you were right there for us, Twilight, managing the spell so it didn't run wild on us. And it turned out all right. No one was hurt."
"It gave the nobles something to think about." Tempest sat down next to them. "Did you see the looks on their faces as we left? I don't think any of them took us seriously before. They do now!"
"And the research mages?" Starlight grinned. "There was this old goat there, I think he lectured at my school once, back home. Very full of himself, very one-day-you-may-be-adequate, that kind of thing. The poor thing looked like he wanted to run away and hide!"
"He wouldn't be the only one." Moondancer trotted over to join the group. "The table-top model is one thing, but seeing the Field itself, at full strength like that?" She smiled uneasily. "If I hadn't been locked into the spell myself, I'd have been over the city limits and accelerating!"
"Still," Spike said, "the Field spell worked against Celestia, so that must mean it's our best chance to stop... you know who... right?"
The five ponies all fell silent, looking downcast and uncomfortable.
And Sunset stamped a hoof in annoyance. "Hey, what's going on here? We should be proud! We passed the test! We aced the demo! Our project is a total success! So... why are we all feeling so down here? Like we haven't really accomplished anything?"
"I don't know," Twilight said, shaking her head. "And I really feel like we should. What are we missing here, Sunset?"
Across the room, Trixie was sitting at the main worktable, reading over a book of practical spells that Starlight had recommended to her. The showpony looked up, and gazed across at the group of ponies, sitting in the warm sunlight by the window. There was a wistful look on her face.
"You all right, Trixie?"
Trixie jolted, and then looked round. She found Grubber standing next to her, looking up at her in concern.
"Trixie is just fine, thank you," she replied archly. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh. It's just... you kinda looked the way the boss looks sometimes, when she's thinkin' about stuff from the past. You know, stuff she wishes were different, that kinda thing?"
"Oh. Well... maybe a little. Trixie's past has not been all that pleasant, either." She looked over towards the window again. "Twilight has such good friends, doesn't she? Who are always there for her, right when she needs them."
"Yeah! Weird ain't it? I been tryin' to figure it out myself." Grubber shrugged. "I think it's because she's just so... nice to everypony, for no particular reason. Heh! And how she wound up with a mix-and-match crew like all of us, it beats the heck outta me!"
"She's Great and Powerful," Trixie said quietly, "without even really trying..."
"Yeah... I suppose. That's one way to look at it."
Trixie stared down at the book in front of her. Then she frowned, and flipped it shut. "Come on, Grubber," she said. "There's an audience over there who needs us."
Getting up, she trotted over to the group by the window, and looked around at them meekly.
"Is it all right if we join you?"
"Sure, Trixie!" Twilight said. And then she smiled, the same open and welcoming smile she gave to all her friends... because she was honestly pleased to see them.
Trixie sat down with the others, and Grubber thunked down next to Tempest. And for a while they just sat there together, all of them. All of Twilight's friends, just being there for each other.
Including Trixie...
... and Trixie hated herself for it.
------------------------------
In the candle-lit darkness of her wagon that evening, Trixie sat on her bunk, quietly debating. Using her magic, she flipped open a nearby trunk and pulled out a large, blue-jacketed volume with a crescent moon on its cover. She held it in her hooves for a while, silent and thoughtful.
And then she nodded, reaching a decision.
Dipping into the trunk again, she pulled out another volume, this one smaller and much more antiquated. It had a cracked faux-leather cover, and tarnished brass clasps holding it shut. She held it in the gleam of her magic, staring at it.
That should do, she thought. That should give Moondancer just enough of a hint, if given at just the right moment...
Stowing both books back in the trunk, Trixie blew out the candle and snugged herself down under the covers of her bunk. And shivered.
Now all I have to do, she thought, is figure out how to sell it.
She shut her eyes, nervously reaching out with her thoughts. It was becoming easier, with every night that passed, as the Nightmare's power grew stronger. As the Mare in the Moon gradually freed herself from the spell that imprisoned her.
Trixie's waking consciousness swiftly faded and slipped away. She sank down into the blurred, jumbled, confused depths of the dreamworld...
And abruptly opened her eyes again, standing in the dark, echoing, night-shrouded marble expanse of the throne room...
... Nightmare Moon's throne room.
All about her, the glowing-eyed, dragon-winged nightmare guard ponies stood at attention, their heads bowed in subservience to Trixie, the Nightmare's chosen servant.
And on the dais, in the shadows shrouding the high-backed throne, its tall, black-armored occupant gazed down upon Trixie with proud confidence.
"Trixie!" the Mare replied. "Our diligent student! We have not spoken in quite some time. Though that is all to the good." She scowled darkly. "We detest aimless chatter!"
"Your Highness?" Trixie asked nervously.
The Mare's head tilted, her gaze sardonic. "Thou were expecting somepony else? We thought thou were sharper than that." As if suddenly recalling who she was speaking to, she smiled genially. "Was there something thou required? Some obstacle to be dealt with, perhaps?" She chuckled coldly and viciously. "Or is this but a social call?"
Trixie approached the throne, executed a precisely measured curtsey.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie," she said proudly, "has an idea for how she may further Your Highness's plans."
"Ah! Do tell!" The Mare gestured indulgently with a hoof. As she did so, she leaned forward from the shadows, her face moving into the light.
It was Princess Luna.
Trixie winced, seeing the look on her teacher's face. It was arch, chill, and scheming. There was little remaining of the kind, caring alicorn she knew so well. The Nightmare's control was returning, relentlessly reasserting itself, on a pace with the Mare's impending freedom.
And it was taking the memory of Princess Luna along with it...
Trixie gritted her teeth, and launched into it.
"The Great and Benevolent Trixie needs to give her so-called friends just the tiniest bit of help, to ensure they don't go completely astray..."
And hope that it will be enough... she thought desperately.